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Rob Gronkowski was a human question mark with regard to his playing status for most of 2013, and speculation as to whether he’ll be healthy enough to play at the start of next season has already begun.

That’s certainly welcome news, but as Gronkowski has proven in the past, his health has been difficult to predict. He suffered a broken arm in Week 11 but returned in Week 17 after a metal plate was inserted into his arm. He re-injured the arm in the divisional round of the playoffs, ending his season, and he would eventually undergo a total of four surgeries on the same arm.

His offseason also included back surgery, putting into question his status for the start of the 2013 season. Bill Belichick elected to take Gronkowski off the physically unable to perform list prior to the start of the regular season, which opened up the possibility for Gronkowski to return to the field before Week 6. Yet he did not end up being fit for game action until Week 7 anyway. He played in seven games before suffering a torn knee injury against Cleveland in Week 14.